Szakács Sándor szerk.: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 1990-1991 (Budapest, 1991)

TAKÁCS ISTVÁN: The history of pig (Sus scrofa dorn L.) butchering and the evidence for singeing on subfossil teeth

the oral end of the mandible to the root of the tail (Fig. 6). After the removal of the intestines the vertebral column is cut out. The corpora vertebrae, however, are not split symmetrically, as would be the case with dismemberment aimed at specialized pork production. In this traditional method the spine is removed in one piece, so that the vertebral column is split off at the capitula costae and sacral bone on both sides (Fig. 7). Thus, the spine may be separated ("spare rib") and is used as the central component of a soup called by the same name (Fig. 8). In the next step, the head is cut off (Fig. 9), and finally the hams (Fig. 10), ribs and other meaty parts (Fig. 11) are "peeled off from the sheep of flitch attached to the animal's skin. Today the bacon is cut into smaller pieces (Fig. 12) and most of it is fried in order to extract its fat content. Traces of hair singeing may be easily observed on the osteological remains of pigs. Looking back in time, it is worth noting whether evidence for this method is apparent in the past. Curiously enough, faunal material from Turkish fortifications in Hungary often contain pig bones on which evidence for singeing may be recognized. Such bones Fig.6: Opening the carcass after cleaning /photo: Mrs. M. Bodnár/